Breakdown of O corredor da casa está limpo.
a casa
the house
estar
to be
da
of the
limpo
clean
o corredor
the hallway
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Questions & Answers about O corredor da casa está limpo.
Why is there a da between corredor and casa?
da is the contraction of de + a, meaning “of the.” So o corredor da casa literally means “the corridor of the house.”
How do I decide between do and da after the preposition de?
It depends on the gender of the noun that follows:
- de + o (masculine) → do
- de + a (feminine) → da
Since casa is feminine, de + a becomes da.
Why is the definite article o used before corredor? Can it be omitted?
Portuguese usually requires a definite article before singular, specific common nouns. Omitting it (“corredor da casa está limpo”) sounds unnatural or incomplete in most contexts.
Why does this sentence use estar instead of ser?
Estar expresses a temporary or changeable state (here, the corridor’s cleanliness). Ser describes inherent or permanent characteristics.
Why is the adjective limpo placed after corredor and after estar?
Portuguese word order for states is [subject] + estar + adjective. Adjectives generally follow the nouns they modify, and after estar they describe the current condition.
What’s the relationship between limpar and limpo?
Limpo is the past participle of the verb limpar (“to clean”) used as an adjective to describe something that has been cleaned.
If I want to say “the corridor has been cleaned,” how would I express that in Portuguese?
You’d use a passive voice with ser + past participle:
o corredor foi limpo
This means “the corridor was/has been cleaned.”
How do you pronounce the final -r in corredor in Brazilian Portuguese?
In most of Brazil, the final -r is pronounced like an English h sound. corredor sounds roughly like [koh-heh-DOH].
Can I add a possessive pronoun to say “my house’s corridor”? How?
Yes. You’d say:
o corredor da minha casa está limpo
Here da minha casa = de + a + minha, i.e. “of my house.”